Deck 5: Qualitative Research Methods

Question 1

Which of the following observation techniques involves observing historical records, such as records of sales calls or warehouse movements?

A) direct
B) archival
C) past records
D) indirect
E) mechanical

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is a unique aspect of qualitative research?

A) large samples
B) quantitative data analysis
C) engagement of respondents in group discussion
D) disengaging respondents so that they may make their own decisions
E) ability to calculate the margin of error

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following were not listed in the textbook as an avenue for engaging in social media research?

A) cellular phones
B) social networks
C) blogs
D) content communities
E) social bookmarking

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which type of research would likely be called "soft" research?

A) qualitative research
B) quantitative research
C) pluralistic research
D) survey research
E) Socratic research

Question 5

What type of observation method is used when human observation may be less accurate, too costly, or non-functional?

A) non-human observation
B) automated observation
C) physio-observation
D) mechanical observation
E) psychic observation

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT discussed in the textbook as conditions for the use of an observation study?

A) If there is a short time interval between the beginning and end of the behaviour to be observed the condition is favourable.
B) If the behaviour must be amenable to physiological measurement than the condition is favourable.
C) If the behaviour is public and therefore readily observed the condition is favourable.
D) If the behaviour is so automatic or repetitive that any personal recall on the respondent's part is likely to be faulty the condition is favourable.
E) If there is a very long time interval between the beginning and end of a behaviour that observation would be impractical the condition is unfavourable.

Question 7

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as a limitation of observational data?

A) Normally only a small number of subjects are studied.
B) Recall error is maximized.
C) Subjective interpretation of results is required on the part of the researcher.
D) Underlying motives are left unexamined.
E) Underlying attitudes are left unexamined.

Question 8

When a "secret shopper" is used to report a salesperson's level of customer assistance and courtesy, which type of observation is being used?

A) undisguised
B) disguised
C) physical traces
D) human
E) mystery surrogate

Question 9

Frito-Lay brand managers want to know which of three proposed end-aisle displays work the best in terms of catching consumers' attention. They set up prototypes of the three displays in three supermarkets and visit each to observe consumers head movements as they approach each display. Which observation technique best describes this situation?

A) direct
B) disguised
C) mechanical
D) indirect
E) store observation

Question 10

Which of the following refers to a small group of people brought together and guided by a moderator through an unstructured, spontaneous discussion for the purpose of gaining information relevant to the research problem?

A) observation group
B) focus group
C) control group
D) experimental group
E) Socratic group

Question 11

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as an advantage of observational data?

A) Subjects react in a natural manner.
B) It is the only way to gather certain information.
C) Recall error is maximized.
D) May be obtained at less cost.
E) May be more accurate.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a step in the social media research process?

A) Tap social media for information
B) Segment the conversations into meaningful categories and issues
C) Join some of the conversations by asking well-thought-out questions
D) Engage in the conversations by providing well-planted answers
E) Analyze the participants answers

Question 13

What is the recommended size of a "traditional" focus group?

A) 2 to 6
B) 5 to 10
C) 6 to 12
D) 7 to 15
E) 9 to 25

Question 14

Which type of research may begin with exploratory research and then go on to conduct a full-scale, representative survey?

A) qualitative research
B) quantitative research
C) focus group research
D) qual-tative research
E) pluralistic research

Question 15

Which of the following is a characteristic of a "non-traditional" focus group?

A) Group meets in a dedicated room
B) Group uses a one-way mirror for client viewing
C) Group meets for about 2 hours
D) Group has 6-12 persons
E) Group may have 25 or even 50 respondents

Question 16

Focus group participants are often interviewed by moderators, referred to as:

A) Observation Facilitators
B) Qualitative Research Consultants
C) Introspective Moderators
D) Qualitative Research Commissioners
E) FG Researchers

Question 17

Which type of research involves the use of structured questions where the response options have been predetermined and a large number of respondents are involved?

A) qualitative research
B) quantitative research
C) pluralistic research
D) focus group research
E) Socratic research

Question 18

Which type of research would be most appropriate if the managers of the Tide brand at Procter & Gamble wanted some ideas as to different ways Tide could be improved?

A) quantitative research
B) qualitative research
C) pluralistic research
D) survey research
E) idea-generation research

Question 19

An observation technique where the researcher identifies beforehand which behaviours are to be observed and recorded is known as:

A) structured observation
B) a priori observation
C) unstructured observation
D) physical traces
E) predetermined Socratic observation

Question 20

With which type of observation technique do researchers observe tangible evidence of some event, such as measuring the amount of graffiti on buildings to indicate the level of vandalism in an area?

A) disguised
B) archives
C) structured
D) physical traces
E) undisguised

Question 21

A study was conducted on online buyers to determine purchasing differences among buyer segments such as males and females. The research began with a series of focus groups followed by in-depth interviews. Finally, an online survey was conducted of several thousand online buyers. This research project would be classified as:

A) qualitative.
B) quantitative.
C) Socratic.
D) pluralistic.
E) exploratory.

Question 22

Which of the following statements does NOT reflect the use of a galvanometer as a research method?

A) When one encounters an interesting stimulus, the electrical impulses in the body become excited.
B) The galvanometer is a device that determines excitement levels by measuring blood flow.
C) When a participant is hooked up to a galvanometer they may be nervous and produce false readings.
D) The galvanometer requires sensing pads to be attached to a participant's body.
E) The galvanometer can be useful in testing sexually oriented stimuli.

Question 23

Which one of the following best represents the desired composition of a focus group?

A) homogeneous participants
B) heterogeneous participants
C) highly educated and articulate participants
D) participants who vary widely in terms of demographics
E) literate adults

Question 24

Often, a critical requirement for a focus group meeting place is:

A) a very large room.
B) a small, cozy room.
C) a roundtable format allowing participants to see one another.
D) equipment to measure physiological responses of the participants.
E) a hidden recording device.

Question 25

D.E.C.I.D.E. Research conducted a study where participants to determine how consumers decide which restaurant to go to for dinner. Participants were then asked to verbalize everything they would consider in making the decision. Which qualitative technique was being used?

A) depth interview
B) protocol analysis
C) probing question survey
D) role-playing activity
E) ethnographic research

Question 26

Which of the following qualitative techniques involves determines the amount of attention or interest a participant has by measuring the dilation of the pupil in the eye?

A) pupil dilation test
B) eye-o-gram
C) retinalmeter
D) pupilometer
E) galvanometer

Question 27

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as a method focus group companies use to reduce "no shows"?

A) monetary incentives
B) free products or gift certificates
C) overrecruiting
D) making callbacks on the day preceding the focus group to remind the participant
E) using direct mail lists

Question 28

Borrowed from anthropology, which type of research listed requires marketing researchers to directly observe, interview, and record consumers over time?

A) anthropologic research
B) ethnographic research
C) ecologic research
D) physiological research
E) psychological research

Question 29

Which statement below what NOT discussed on the textbook regarding a focus group report?

A) only required for large, multi-dimensional studies
B) summarizes the information provided by the participants
C) qualitative statements of participants must be translated into categories
D) demographic and buy behaviour characteristics of participants should be judged against the target market profile
E) numerous verbatim excerpts may be included as evidence

Question 30

Which one of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as an advantage of focus groups?

A) They generate fresh ideas.
B) They allow hidden cameras to record hidden motives.
C) They allow clients to observe the group.
D) They are generally versatile in that they can handle an unlimited number of topics.
E) They allow access to special respondent groups such as lawyers or doctors.

Question 31

Which of the statements below do NOT represent role-playing as presented in the textbook?

A) By reviewing participants' comments, latent reactions can be spotted
B) Participants' true feelings are revealed
C) Highly skilled professionals are needed to interpret the results
D) Participants are asked to pretend they are a "third person" in a scenario
E) Cost per respondent is low compared to other survey methods

Question 32

Which type of qualitative research is most useful when it is thought that most respondents will be hesitant to divulge their true opinions?

A) depth interview
B) probing question survey
C) projective technique
D) coercion exercises
E) ethosgraphy

Question 33

Which of the following qualitative techniques is characterized as a set of probing questions posed one-on-one to a subject by a trained interviewer so as to gain an idea of what the subject thinks about something or why the subject behaves in a certain way?

A) ethnographic research
B) protocol analysis
C) role-playing activity
D) depth interview
E) projective techniques

Question 34

Focus groups should NOT be used when:

A) there is a need to understand the consumers' vocabulary.
B) there is a need to determine consumers' attitudes.
C) there is a need to predict the sales volume for a new product in a market territory.
D) there is a need to understand consumers' motives.
E) there is a need to know how accepting consumers are of a proposed new package design.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of online focus groups over traditional focus groups?

A) no physical set up is necessary
B) participants from different geographic areas can participate
C) participants are comfortable in their homes or offices
D) private messages can exchanged between the moderator and participants
E) participants' "body language" may be observed

Question 36

In which technique below are consumers' values determined, followed by determining which product or service attributes would be viewed as a means of achieving a desired value? For example, it is determined that "good health" is highly valued and "soy products replacing beef" is viewed as a means of achieving "good health."

A) value salience analysis
B) qualitative value interviews
C) quantitative value interviews
D) laddering
E) value gradient analysis

Question 37

A researcher for Lipton tea is interested in learning how teenagers think of iced tea, and she gives a sample of teens the following incomplete sentence: "Teens who like to drink iced tea are ________." The teenagers were then asked to finish the sentence. This is an example of a(n):

A) in-depth interview
B) balloon test
C) word differences test
D) Sentence-completion test
E) "Sort Me Up"

Question 38

Which one of the following is NOT an objective of focus groups?

A) to generate ideas
B) to understand consumer vocabulary
C) to reveal consumer needs
D) to determine quantities of a proposed new product that will be sold in a given market
E) to reveal consumer attitudes

Question 39

A college checks the garbage bins in the classrooms to determine if the new recycling program is changing behaviours. This is an example of:

A) direct observation
B) archives
C) physical traces
D) human observation
E) undisguised observation

Question 40

One of the disadvantages of focus groups is that:

A) clients are allowed to observe the participants.
B) results must be subjectively interpreted.
C) although the cost-per-participant is low, representativeness is also low.
D) focus groups constitute representative samples.
E) it is difficult to access special respondent groups such as lawyers or doctors.

Question 41

A digital video recorder manufacturer was interested in improving the functionality of its product for consumers in Canada. In order to do this the company hired a research company who decided to monitor various blogs for mentions of the current product. After examining 100 conversations, categories of interest involved ease of use, amount of storage, and filing capabilities. What type of research did the company engage in?

A) Online research
B) Social media research
C) Online focus groups
D) Digital media research
E) Mechanical observation research

Question 42

Although commonly used in the United States, observation methods are less popular in Canada.

Question 43

A combination of qualitative and quantitative research is referred to as pluralistic research.

Question 44

Quantitative techniques deal with the "soft side" of marketing research.

Question 45

Using a "secret shopper" to record and report how sales clerks assisted customers would be an example of disguised observation.

Question 46

Observation techniques allow researchers to observe rather than communicate with a person to obtain information.

Question 47

Human observation has become a high-technology research tool through the assistance of a combination of telecommunications, computer hardware, and software programs.

Question 48

Jamie Sims developed a female urinal that has the advantage of allowing women to use the restroom much faster. Jamie knows that long waiting lines for women's restrooms are often present in large, heavily used public facilities such as busy airports or entertainment complexes. She has perfected her urinal and a major plumbing manufacturer is interested in producing and distributing the device. However, the manufacturer wants Jamie to provide some research evidence indicating how receptive women are to using the device. Jamie is concerned about how to conduct the research since the topic is socially sensitive. Given this situation, Jamie should use:

A) traditional focus groups
B) structured survey
C) quantitative research
D) projective technique
E) mechanical observation

Question 49

Francois Benoit has trained for several months to conduct focus groups. He is about to hold his first focus group as the moderator. Which factor did Francois NOT learn about how to hold a successful focus group discussion?

A) Have a clear understanding of the purpose and objectives of the interview.
B) Set the tone for the entire session with introductory remarks.
C) Formulate questions ahead of time in a logical sequence.
D) Make sure to keep a professional distance from the participants as a moderator is there to observe only.
E) Provide a clear explanation of how the participant should respond.

Question 50

A trained researcher was sent on a Caribbean cruise to pose as a "hard-to-please" customer in order to evaluate the level of service offered by the crew. This example shows how:

A) all good observations should be disguised.
B) observation techniques may raise ethical questions.
C) physical traces provides tangible evidence.
D) structured observation is legal.
E) unstructured observation is legal.

Question 51

Observing the trashcans of consumers to find out the extent of recycling would be an example of using an archive source of information.

Question 52

Qualitative research is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the application of social media.

Question 53

Dan Neufeld decides to use a qualitative research technique called "laddering." Which of the following would best describe how laddering could be used by Dan's Pork processing company?

A) Determining values important to consumers (i.e., good health); the routes consumers take to achieve those values (i.e., exercise, eating good foods, rest); and which specific product attributes (eat white meats) are used as a means of achieving the end desired value (good health).
B) Determining product attributes important to consumers (i.e., white meats); the routes consumers take to achieve those attributes (i.e., shopping, reading ads, coupons); and which specific product attributes (pork) are used as a means of achieving the end desired value.
C) Determining bottom rung values important to consumers (i.e., food, shelter, clothing); the routes consumers take to advance to higher rungs (i.e., education, job search, skill training); and which specific product attributes (white meats) are used as a means of achieving the highest rung (high self-esteem).
D) Determining the step-by-step approach to determining the best method to advertise the product (pork) as a healthy, nutritious food (white meat).
E) Determining the step-by-step approach to determining the best method to display the product (pork) as a healthy, nutritious food (white meat) in the meat aisle of the grocery store.

Question 54

Using structured observation techniques, the research ignores all behaviours that are not on the standardized observation form.

Question 55

Mystery shopping is a popular observation technique in the Canadian retail sector.

Question 56

Machines that count automobiles passing by are likely to be more accurate than humans counting the autos. This "traffic counting" machine would be an example of mechanical observation.

Question 57

Marketing research has borrowed the qualitative research approach from such social sciences as anthropology and psychology.

Question 58

Hull Research Associates is asked to help name a new product that is a new type of nonfat cheese. Several names are suggested: SkinnyCheese, CheeseSmart, DownLoCheez, and SansFat. What would be the most appropriate qualitative technique to determine the meanings of these names to customers?

A) picture this, picture that
B) protocol analysis
C) word-association test
D) balloon test
E) laddering test

Question 59

Using a device attached to a family's TV in order to monitor TV viewing behaviour is an example of undisguised observation techniques.

Question 60

Sue Miller, brand manager for Zippo Cat Foods, wanted to gather some information from cat food buyers. She arranged to conduct several focus groups, each conducted online with as many as 25 to 50 participants. She also wanted to interact with the focus group participants. Sue would be using which type of focus group?

A) traditional
B) nontraditional
C) disguised
D) nondisguised
E) moderated

Question 61

Moderators of focus groups need not be hired until the focus groups are actually ready to begin.

Question 62

Laddering is a technique used with in-depth interviews which attempts to determine which product attributes are linked to values held by consumers.

Question 63

One of the benefits of online focus groups is that the moderator can exchange private messages with individual participants.

Question 64

Rooms designed especially for focus groups are referred to as focus group facilities.

Question 65

A depth interview has the advantages of allowing the interviewer to probe, asking many additional questions. This leads to rich, sometimes revealing responses.

Question 66

One of the disadvantages of focus groups is that they constitute representative samples of larger populations.

Question 67

Focus group reports must translate the qualitative statements of participants into categories, and then report the degree of consensus apparent in the focus groups.

Question 68

Focus groups should be composed of persons who are similar in terms of demographics and other relevant variables.

Question 69

Traditional focus groups have 6 to 12 participants and are conducted in a dedicated room with a one-way mirror for client viewing.

Question 70

Although focus groups are "unstructured" they are guided by a Qualitative Research Consultant.

Question 71

Focus groups should be used when companies need to know "how to listen" to their markets.

Question 72

One of the advantages of observational studies is that large numbers of persons may be observed; therefore, representativeness is increased.

Question 73

Focus group moderators are sometimes called Qualitative Research Consultants.

Question 74

Projective analysis involves placing people in decision-making situations and asking them to verbalize everything they consider when making a decision.

Question 75

It is important to keep in mind that information collected through social media research is unbiased.

Question 76

Faulty recall occurs when actions or activities are so repetitive or automatic that the respondent cannot recall specifics about the behaviour under question. It is a reason for NOT using an observation technique.

Question 77

One advantage of observation studies is that the subjects are not aware that they are being studied and therefore act in a natural manner.

Question 78

A preferred seating arrangement in a focus group should allow each participant to see the leader of the focus group but not one another.

Question 79

Depth interviews are especially useful when the researcher wants to understand decision making at the individual level and the respondent is not influenced by others, as they may be in a focus group.

Question 80

When the decision process is very short and recall may be faulty, protocol analysis may be useful to help slow the process down.